Google Voice Text Message (SMS) Delay

Okay Google, I reeeeeally like your Google Voice service. But there’s absolutely no way I can deal with such huge delays in your text message delivery system.

My housemate has slept a total of 2 hours in the past 3 days. Knowing this, I txt’d him this morning to see if he made it to work. Here’s our conversation, with a Google Voice time stamp at the end of each line.

He sent me a text message at 9:17, and I didn’t receive it until 10:10.

Google, this is completely unacceptable. The entire point of text messaging is that messages are supposed to be small, quick, and easy to immediately respond to. With delays close to a full hour, what’s the point of even using Google Voice for SMS?

Makes Me Think

Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn’t eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, “We can share it.”

From MakesMeThink.com

Go For It

You don’t have to be a professional to build a successful product. Amateurs started Google; Professionals built the Titanic.”

Amazing New Coke Machine

Okay check this out.

Why don’t we have these in my area yet?! These machines have flavors of soda that aren’t available in other stores.

Amazing.

Bing Toolbar Bundled with Latest Java Update

Just now, I received notification in my system tray that Java was in need of an update. I clicked through to update it, and to my surprise, this came up:

I wonder how much Microsoft paid Sun for that deal.

The End of the iPhone Era

I can’t believe I fell for it.

Before I bought my iPhone, I considered the purchase long and hard. I knew full well what I was getting myself into. I could choose the iPhone and commit my soul to AT&T and Apple’s controlling nature for the next two years. “But the iPhone is so awesome!” I thought. It has a big touch screen, it has apps for everything including Facebook and YouTube. You can check your email, watch movies, listen to music, and browse the ‘real’ web.

I specifically remember telling myself, “Sure, Apple might reject apps and might be evil, but I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. I want to give them a chance. Maybe they won’t be evil.”

Up until now, everything was fine.

And then yesterday happened. Apple and AT&T denied the Google Voice app from the iPhone App Store.

I won’t get into the details about Google Voice or why it was denied entry. Sure, I can live without a native iPhone app for Google Voice. I guarantee that Google develops a nice web app for iPhone users as a consolation.

The point is, the app was perfectly legitimate. It was created using Apple’s own SDK. It doesn’t do anything that cannot be done already from google.com/voice (the app just made it easier and faster to use the service). But the overly-controlling Apple and AT&T rejected it. The most likely reason behind the rejection is that AT&T was afraid that Google Voice would steal some precious revenue from its (overpriced) SMS packages.

This is why openness will win the end–when you piss off your loyal fanbase, they turn on you forever. I will never buy an Apple product ever again. When my AT&T contract is over, I will immediately switch to a new carrier, and never give a single cent to AT&T again. When my friends come to me and ask me about my experience with either company, I will do my best to steer them clear of both Apple and AT&T. Apple and AT&T are evil.

It’s over. It was fun while it lasted.

PS: I think this Android phone is going to be my next phone:

Google Pushes Chrome Browser With TV Commercials

Wow, Google is really pushing its browser, Google Chrome.  The Google blog just announced that they’ll be using TV commercials to further the cause.  Here’s a clip.

Google has already set up a YouTube channel for Google Chrome, with a collection of videos to explain what makes Google Chrome different from Internet Explorer and Firefox.

I’m excited to see Google pushing Chrome so hard.  In my opinion, Chrome is a better browser than Firefox (and obviously Internet Explorer as well).  I use it exclusively on every PC I use.  It’s blazingly fast.  If you haven’t tried it out yet, give it a whirl:

http://www.google.com/chrome

Twitter

Don’t know what Twitter is?  This video might clear up some of the confusion.

Get it now?

Dog Training

I guess the dog really didn’t want to be trained.

Found on The Daily “Worse Than Failure”.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody! Beside these new year’s wishes, I leave you with this video. I hope we begin to see all of the changes proposed in this clip.